Frank Read facts for kids

Frank Henry Read FRS FInstP (born 6 October 1934) is a British physicist. He is an Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Manchester. This means he is a retired professor who still holds an honorary position. He is famous for his research into how tiny particles behave.

What Frank Read Studied

Professor Read is well-known for his experiments. He studied what happens when electrons hit atoms and molecules. Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything. Molecules are groups of atoms joined together.

He also designed special instruments for his research. These tools helped him see what was happening at a very small scale. He also did theoretical work. This means he used math and ideas to explain his experimental results.

How Electrons Interact

One of his key areas of study was threshold effects. Imagine pushing a swing. You need a certain amount of push to get it moving. In physics, a threshold is a minimum energy needed for something to happen. Professor Read looked at what happens when electrons just barely have enough energy to cause a change.

He also studied post-collision interactions. This is when electrons hit something and then interact again right after. He looked at how these interactions affect the excitation of resonance states. An excited state is when an atom or molecule has extra energy. A resonance state is a very short-lived, unstable state.

Looking at Tiny Particles

Professor Read also studied how molecules spin (rotation) and vibrate. He looked at how these movements affect where scattered electrons go. By studying the angular distribution (the direction electrons fly off in), he could figure out the electronic configurations of short-lived negative ion states. An ion is an atom or molecule with an electric charge.

He also used a method called delayed coincidences. This involves precisely timing when electrons and photons (light particles) appear. This method helped him measure the lifetimes of atomic and molecular states. A lifetime is how long an atom or molecule stays in an excited state before returning to normal.

Books by Frank Read

Professor Read has written books to share his knowledge. These books help other scientists and students learn about his work.

• Electrostatic lenses (1976)
• Electromagnetic radiation (1980)

Awards and Special Honours

Professor Read has received important awards for his contributions to science.

• In 1984, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
• In 2000, he won the Holweck Prize. He received this award for his important work in atomic and molecular physics. This field studies atoms and molecules and how they interact.